Forward-pressed finger rest for slide-action stock

ABSTRACT

A slide-action stock for a semi-automatic firearm. The side-action stock includes a handle provided with an integral finger rest. The finger rest forms a cradle for the user&#39;s trigger finger. In use, the user grasps the handle with one hand while pressing the dorsal side of their index finger firmly against the cradle. When intending to fire a round of ammunition, the user pushes the receiver forward with their other hand so that the trigger collides with the stabilized index finger. Recoil force quickly separates the trigger from the user&#39;s finger against the cradle. The user pushes the receiver forward to repeat the firing cycle. A firing mode selector can be selectively engaged to restrict longitudinal movement of the trigger relative to the handle, thereby returning the firearm to normal semi-automatic functionality.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Provisional Patent Application No.61/667,777 filed Jul. 3, 2012, the entire disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference and relied upon.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to firearms, and moreparticularly toward a manually reciprocated slide-action stock forsemi-automatic firearms.

2. Related Art

Various techniques and devices have been developed to increase thefiring rate of semi-automatic firearms. Many of these techniques anddevices make use of the concept known as rapid-action or “bump firing”,which is the manipulation of the recoil of the firearm to rapidlyactivate the trigger. One such rapid-action firing technique is known asthe “belt loop” method. To execute the belt loop method, the shooterfirst places the firearm next to his or her hip and hooks one fingerthrough both the trigger guard (in front of the trigger) and a belt loopin his or her clothing. The opposite hand is placed on the forward handguard attached to the barrel of the firearm. When the firearm is tuggedforward by the shooter, the trigger is activated by the hooked finger todischarge a bullet. The recoil from the bullet pushes the firearmbackwards away from the trigger finger, allowing the trigger to re-set.Forward force must be applied to the hand guard in order to activate thefiring mechanism for each round that is fired. However, this may beachieved in very rapid succession.

Although able to achieve a high rate of firing, the belt loop method hasmany safety and accuracy issues. For example, to correctly operate manyfirearms with the belt loop method, the operator's arm must be placed inthe path of hot gasses being expelled from the ejection port of thefirearm. This could lead to skin burns or possibly pinch the operator'ssleeve or skin in the action. Another issue with the belt loop methodarises because the operator cannot have a firm grip on the firearm.Because the belt loop method only works if the firearm is held looselywith one hand, the chances of the operator losing control of the firearmare greatly amplified. Because of this unnatural and unbalanced firinggrip, the firearm is very difficult to aim and control during the beltloop method.

Commercial devices are also available for assisting in the rapid-actionfiring concept, including the HELLSTORM 2000 and TAC Trigger. Both ofthese are small devices that mount to the trigger guard of the firearmand use springs to aid in quickly resetting the trigger while thefirearm is rapid-action fired, as described above. However, the samesafety and accuracy issues of the belt loop method apply to thesedevices because the firearm cannot be held securely with the triggerhand or the stock of the firearm.

The slide-action stock concept marked under the trademark Slide Fire®pioneered by Slide Fire Solutions LP, Moran, Tex., has become a popularaccessory enabling rapid fire capability to semi-automatic rifleswithout compromising safety. In use, a user pulls their trigger fingerrearwardly against a specially designed rest adjacent the trigger whileholding the butt section of the rifle snug against their shoulder in anormal shooting posture. Forward pressure is applied to the fronthand-guard to initiate shooting. The user remains in complete control asthe rifle continues to fire while forward pressure is maintained on thefront hand-guard. For a more complete description of the Slide Fire)slide-action stock, reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,127,658;8,176,835; 8,356,542; 8,371,208; 8,448,562; 8,459,171 and 8,474,169, theentire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference andrelied upon.

There exists a continuing need for further improvements in devices thatwill allow the shooter to practice new and interesting ways to shootfirearms in a legal and safe manner, to increase the firing rate ofsemi-automatic firearms without compromising the safety of the operatoror the accuracy of the firearm, which are generally universallyfunctional without respect to ammunition type, and which aresufficiently distinguished from a fully automatic weapon so as to fallwithin compliance of federal firearms regulations. There exists furthera need for an improved interface device or system disposed operativelybetween the firing unit of a firearm and the handle portion of a firearmthat is durable, sturdy, and not prone to binding in use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect of this invention, a slide-action stock for asemi-automatic firearm includes a handle adapted to be grasped by auser's hand. The handle includes an opposing surface for directlyinteracting with a bearing element of the firearm so that the handle isable to reciprocate relative to the bearing element back-and-forth alonga constrained path. The slide-action stock also includes a finger restconfigured to stabilize the end of a user's trigger finger in apartially extended condition so that in use the user's trigger fingerstretches in front of the firearm trigger while the remaining fingers ofthe user's hand grasp the handle. The finger rest and the handle arefixed together as a unit for concerted back-and-forth movement along theconstrained path. The finger rest has a rearwardly facing cradle againstwhich the dorsal portion of a user's trigger finger is pressed in aforwardly acting direction while the remaining fingers of the user'srear hand grasp the handle.

According to another aspect of this invention, a method is provided forrapid-firing a semi-automatic firearm using a slide-action stock. Themethod includes the steps of: supporting a firing unit portion of afirearm in a handle for back-and-forth movement relative to the handle,the firing unit includes a trigger, grasping the handle with a hand ofthe user, and stabilizing an index finger of the user's hand in apartially extended condition stretched in front of the trigger. Thestabilizing step includes pressing the dorsal portion of the user'sfinger forwardly against a rearwardly facing cradle.

This invention fulfills many needs in the sporting arms field, includingenabling shooters to practice new and interesting ways to shoot firearmsin a legal and safe manner, increasing the firing rate of asemi-automatic firearm without compromising the safety of the user orthe accuracy of the firearm, providing generally universal functionalwithout respect to ammunition type, and in compliance with federalfirearms regulations. This present invention represents an improvedinterface device disposed operatively between the firing unit of afirearm and the handle portion of a firearm that is durable, sturdy, andnot prone to binding in use.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present invention willbecome more readily appreciated when considered in connection with thefollowing detailed description and appended drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a simplified side view of a firearm fitted with a slidingstock system according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a an enlarged fragmentary view of the firearm of FIG. 1 shownwith stock and firing unit elements exploded apart;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the trigger area of afirearm as in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are time sequence views of the fragmentary portion ofthe firearm as depicted in FIG. 3 and showing relative movement betweenthe stock and firing unit elements with a human finger operativelydisposed on a finger rest of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a human hand grasping a pistol gripportion of the sliding stock system;

FIG. 6 is a highly enlarged view of the trigger region with a humanfinger operatively disposed on a finger rest and depicting a rearwardrecoiled position of the trigger in phantom;

FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the finger rest and pistol grip accordingto one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the upper side of the finger rest ofFIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the underside of the finger rest of FIG.7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Referring to the figures wherein like numerals indicate like orcorresponding parts throughout the several views, a semi-automaticfirearm according to one exemplary embodiment of this invention isgenerally shown at 10 in FIG. 1. In the illustrated examples, thefirearm 10 is depicted as a rifle or long gun; however the principles ofthis invention may be applied with success to hand guns and pistols.Therefore, those of skill in the art should appreciate that the termfirearm as used throughout this patent application is applicable to allforms of semi-automatic projectile-firing devices.

The firearm 10 includes a receiver 12 and a barrel 14 and a trigger 16operatively connected together as a firing unit. Ammunition (not shown)fed into the receiver 12 (such as through a magazine 17 or a beltsystem) is presented into a firing chamber (not shown) at the base ofthe barrel 14. A firing pin struck by a hammer (neither of which areshown) ignites a round of ammunition in the firing chamber when a userpulls the trigger 16. In the context of this invention, the firing unitis provided with at least one bearing element, generally indicated at18. The bearing element 18 in this illustrative example is attached tothe rearward end of the receiver 12. The bearing element 18 may includea channel 20 along its undersurface as shown for example in FIG. 3, aswill be described in further detail below. Those of skill in the artwill appreciate that the bearing element 18 could take many differentforms, and is not intended to be limited to the specific design shown inthe accompanying illustrations.

A slide-action stock, generally indicated at 22, is interactive with thefiring unit and includes a handle configured to provide an interfacethrough which a user grasps the firearm with at least one hand. Theslide-action stock 22 includes an opposing surface 24 that directlyinteracts with the bearing element 20 of the firing unit so that thefiring unit is able to reciprocate relative to the slide-action stock 22back-and-forth along a constrained path. In the illustrated embodiment,the opposing surface 24 is a rib-like T-track perhaps best shown in FIG.2. The channel 20 has a complementary shape to facilitate sliding motionalong a constrained linear path that is generally parallel to the lengthof the barrel 14. It should be understood, however, that the bearingelement 20 and opposing surface 24 can take many different cooperatingforms that provide linear, curvilinear and/or pivotal relative motion sothat the firing unit may achieve its reciprocating back-and-forthmovement with respect to the slide-action stock 22. Thus, the term“slide action” with reference to the stock 22 must not be construed sonarrowly as to preclude an interpretation of pivotal motion at thebearing element 20/opposing surface 24 interface accomplished throughlinks are other means.

The slide-action stock 22 is shown according to one exemplary embodimentin FIG. 1 including a finger rest 26 and a handle. The handle includes apistol grip 28 and a shoulder stock 30. In alternative variations,however, the shoulder stock 30 portion may be omitted (as in pistol-typeconfigurations) or the pistol grip 28 may be omitted (as inhunting/patrol rifle type configurations). For primarily ergonomicbenefits, the pistol grip 28 may extend obliquely downwardly and awayfrom the finger rest 26. The pistol grip 28 and shoulder stock 30 areinterconnected (in this example) through a connector bar 32, upon whichthe opposing surface 24 is positioned. A cheek-piece 34 may optionallybe affixed to or otherwise integrated with the shoulder stock 30 asshown in FIG. 1.

As shown in FIGS. 4A-6, the finger rest 26 is configured to stabilize afinger 36 of the user's hand, and more specifically the shooter's indexor trigger finger, in a partially extended and hooked position so thatin use the user's finger 36 is stretched in front of the trigger 16 whenit is desired to shoot the firearm 10. The finger rest 26 has arearwardly facing cradle 38 against which the dorsal portion of theuser's finger 36 is pressed in use. The rearward direction is defined asgenerally opposite the direction a projectile travels as it exitsfirearm 10. The arrow 40 in FIG. 5 depicts the forwardly-directed forcewith which the user exerts on their finger 36 in order to maintain thedorsal side (i.e., fingernail side) pressed against the cradle 38. Inthe illustrated embodiment, the cradle 38 is comprises a section of acontinuous bounded inner periphery formed by a generally D-shaped loopor ring-like extension from the connector bar 32. Although the fingerrest 26 is a depicted as being generally oblong in appearance, alternateembodiments include loops of various shapes (e.g., circular, square,triangular, polygonal, regular or irregular). In still furtherembodiments, the “loops” may not actually form a closed loop, but mayinstead simply provide a surface (e.g., a surface similar to the cradle38) upon which a shooter's finger 36 can rest and which inhibits theforward movement of the shooter's trigger finger 36.

The loop portion of the finger rest 26 may have a size generallyequivalent to the firearm trigger guard 42, and be positioned so thatthe finger rest 26 lies to the left side (as shown) or right side (notshown) of the trigger guard 42. The finger rest 26 may be used byleft-handed and right-handed shooters without the need to switch thefinger rest 26 from one side of the trigger to the other. Nevertheless,while the embodiments disclosed herein generally depict finger rest 26as being positioned on the left side of the trigger 16 when installed onthe firearm 10 (which may be more intuitive to use by right handedshooters than by left-handed shooters), alternate embodiments include aloop positioned on the right side of the trigger 16, and still furtherembodiments include a loop positioned on both sides of the trigger 16.

Detailed views of one embodiment of the finger rest 26 are shown inFIGS. 7-9. The finger rest 26 may include a mounting lug 44 formed withan threaded hole 46 and adapted to receive a standard replacement pistolgrip 28 via a through-the-grip fastener 48. The finger rest mayoptionally include an adjustable mounting structure that enablesselective adjustment of the spacing between the cradle 38 portion of thefinger rest 26 and the handle. In the one illustrated example, theadjustable mounting structure includes a series of mounting holes 50that engage cooperating features on the connector bar 32 (not shown) andenable the extended length of the cradle 38 to be custom fit for anyparticular application. Of course, many alternative approaches can becontemplated to enable selective adjustment of the cradle 38 relative tothe handle.

In use, a semi-automatic firearm can be rapid-fired by a human userusing the slide-action stock 22 by supporting the firing unit in thehandle for back-and-forth movement relative to the handle, grasping thehandle with a hand of the user, and stabilizing an index finger 36 ofthe user's hand in a partially extended condition stretched in front ofthe trigger 16. The stabilizing step includes pressing the dorsalportion of the user's finger 36 forwardly (arrow 40) against therearwardly facing cradle 38. In order to fire one or more rounds ofammunition, the user manually pushes the firing unit forward relative tothe handle with their other hand while grasping the handle andstabilizing the finger with the first hand.

As depicted in FIGS. 4A-6, with the receiver 12 positioned in a rearwardorientation with respect to stock 22, the cradle 38 of finger rest 26 ispositioned forward of trigger 16 (see FIGS. 4A and 5). Conversely, whenthe receiver 12 is positioned in a forward orientation with respect tostock 22, the cradle 38 of finger rest 26 is positioned nearer to thetrigger 16 (see FIGS. 4B and 6). Thus, relative movement of the cradle38 relative to the trigger 16 occurs as receiver 12 moves between itsforward orientation and its rearward orientation with respect to theslide-action stock 22.

When using a firearm 10 with the finger rest 26 installed, a shooter mayplace the shoulder stock 30 against the shooter's shoulder, grasp thepistol grip 28 with the shooter's trigger finger hand, insert theshooter's trigger finger 36 (or other suitable appendage or non-humantrigger actuator) into the space in front of the trigger 16 and behindthe cradle 38 of the finger rest 26. The shooter may then place thedorsal side of the shooter's trigger finger 36 against the cradle 38 andbias the trigger 16 (and generally the entire firing unit) forward bygrasping a forward grip 52 with the shooter's non-trigger hand andurging the forward grip 52 in a forward (downrange) direction. Theforward urging can be described as using the shooter's arm strength tobias the forward grip 52 and the trigger 16 using human muscle power.

As the trigger 16 moves forward in response to the shooter urging theforward grip 52 in the forward direction, the trigger 16 eventuallycontacts the shooter's trigger finger 36. Contact between the trigger 16and the shooter's trigger finger results in actuation of the trigger 16(and the trigger group assembly). Consequently, a projectile isdischarged from the firearm 10. The discharging of the projectileresults in a recoil force that moves the trigger 16 rearward against armtension in the shooter's hand that remains grasping forward grip52—provided, of course, that the user's forward muscle effort is notgreater than the recoil force.

After the firing unit has moved rearward a sufficient distance inresponse to the recoil force, the trigger assembly resets, i.e., thetrigger 16 rotates forward with respect to the trigger assembly asufficient amount to reset the trigger assembly. When the trigger 16 isagain pushed forward a sufficient distance by the shooter maintaining aforward urging force on the forward grip 52, trigger 16 will be actuateda second time by the shooter's trigger finger 36, and a second roundwill be discharged. This sequence may be repeated by the shootermaintaining an appropriate amount of forward pressure on the forwardgrip 52 to continue rapid-action firing the firearm 10.

The rapid-action firing of a firearm 10 will continue until theshooter's non-trigger hand and arm cease the forward biasing of thefiring unit (or decreases the forward biasing by a sufficient amount),thereby resulting in the trigger 16 not moving sufficiently forward toactuate trigger 16 and discharge another projectile from firearm 10. Thefiring of firearm 10 can also continue until the shooter's non-triggerhand and arm increase the forward biasing of the trigger 16 by an amountsufficient to overcome the recoil force and prevent trigger 16 frommoving the rearward to reset the trigger 16 after a projectile isdischarged from firearm 10

The slide-action stock 22 may include an optional firing mode selector54 can control the interaction (e.g., sliding interaction) between theslide-action stock 22 and the firing unit. The firing mode selector 54may be oriented in either of two positions: one position to allow thetrigger 16 to move in relation to the slide-action stock 22, and theother position to inhibit relative motion between the trigger 16 andslide-action stock 22. To operate the firearm 10 in a traditionalsemiautomatic manner, the shooter sets the firing mode selector 54 torestrict the movement between stock 22 and the receiver 12. Using thismethod, one shot is discharged for each squeeze of the trigger 16.

Use of the finger rest 26 allows the shooter to transition from bumpfiring a firearm to firing the same firearm using traditionalsemi-automatic firing techniques and back again to bump firing thefirearm without the need to move the shooter's trigger finger, which canprovide a more seamless transition from bump firing to traditionalsemi-automatic firing techniques. When firing the firearm using atraditional semi-automatic firing technique, the finger rest 26supplements the trigger guard 42 and inhibits accidental actuation ofthe trigger 16 while providing unobstructed access to the trigger 16 bythe shooter's trigger finger.

The foregoing invention has been described in accordance with therelevant legal standards, thus the description is exemplary rather thanlimiting in nature. Variations and modifications to the disclosedembodiment may become apparent to those skilled in the art and fallwithin the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A slide-action stock for a semi-automatic firearmcomprising: a handle adapted to be grasped by a user's hand, said handleincluding an opposing surface for directly interacting with a bearingelement of the firearm so that said handle is able to reciprocaterelative to the bearing element back-and-forth along a constrained path,a finger rest, said finger rest configured to stabilize the end of auser's trigger finger in a partially extended condition so that in usethe user's trigger finger stretches in front of the firearm triggerwhile the remaining fingers of the user's hand grasp said handle, saidfinger rest and said handle being fixed together as a unit for concertedback-and-forth movement along said constrained path, and wherein saidfinger rest has a rearwardly facing cradle against which the dorsalportion of a user's trigger finger is pressed in a forwardly actingdirection while the remaining fingers of the user's rear hand grasp saidhandle.
 2. The slide-action stock of claim 1, wherein said rearwardlyfacing cradle comprises a section of a continuous bounded innerperiphery.
 3. The slide-action stock of claim 1, wherein said cradle isspaced apart from said handle, and including an adjustable mountingstructure enabling selective adjustment in said spacing between saidfinger rest and said handle.
 4. The slide-action stock of claim 1,wherein said handle includes a pistol grip.
 5. The slide-action stock ofclaim 1, wherein said handle includes a shoulder stock extendinglongitudinally rearwardly from said finger rest.
 6. The slide-actionstock of claim 1, wherein said handle includes a pistol grip extendingobliquely downwardly and away from said finger rest, and a shoulderstock.
 7. The slide-action stock of claim 1, wherein said opposingsurface of said handle includes a sliding track, said sliding trackconfigured to engage within a complementary channel in the bearingelement of the firearm.
 8. The slide-action stock of claim 8, whereinsaid sliding track has a T-shaped cross-section.
 9. A semi-automaticfirearm comprising: a receiver and a barrel and a trigger operativelyconnected together as a firing unit, said firing unit including at leastone bearing element, a slide-action stock interactive with said firingunit and configured to provide an interface through which a user graspssaid firearm with at least one hand, said slide-action stock includingan opposing surface directly interacting with said bearing element ofsaid firing unit so that said firing unit is able to reciprocaterelative to said slide-action stock back-and-forth along a constrainedpath, said slide-action stock including a finger rest, said finger restconfigured to stabilize a finger of the user's hand in a partiallyextended and hooked position so that in use the user's finger isstretched in front of said trigger, said finger rest having a rearwardlyfacing cradle against which the dorsal portion of the user's finger ispressed in use.
 10. The firearm of claim 9, wherein said rearwardlyfacing cradle comprises a section of a continuous bounded innerperiphery.
 11. The firearm of claim 9, wherein said slide-action stockincludes a handle adapted to be grasped by a user's hand, said fingerrest and said handle being fixed together in use as a rigid unit. 12.The firearm of claim 11, wherein said cradle is spaced apart from saidhandle, and including an adjustable mounting structure enablingselective adjustment in said spacing between said finger rest and saidhandle.
 13. The firearm of claim 11, wherein said handle includes apistol grip.
 14. The firearm of claim 11, wherein said handle includes ashoulder stock extending longitudinally rearwardly from said fingerrest.
 15. The firearm of claim 11, wherein said handle includes a pistolgrip extending obliquely downwardly and away from said finger rest, anda shoulder stock.
 16. The firearm of claim 9, wherein said opposingsurface includes a sliding track, said sliding track configured toengage within a complementary channel in the bearing element of thefirearm.
 17. The slide-action stock of claim 16, wherein said slidingtrack has a T-shaped cross-section.
 18. The firearm of claim 9, whereinsaid firearm is a rifle.
 19. A method for rapid-firing a semi-automaticfirearm using a slide-action stock comprising the steps of: supporting afiring unit portion of a firearm in a handle for back-and-forth movementrelative to the handle, the firing unit including a trigger, graspingthe handle with a hand of the user, stabilizing an index finger of theuser's hand in a partially extended condition stretched in front of thetrigger, said stabilizing step including pressing the dorsal portion ofthe user's finger forwardly against a rearwardly facing cradle.
 20. Themethod of claim 19, further including manually pushing the firing unitforward relative to the handle with another hand of the usersimultaneously with said grasping step.